Manny Pacquiao Packs a Punch, But Can He Hit a Note?

Welterweight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao may be training aggressively to fight undefeated boxer Timothy Bradley on June 9th, but he’s decided to have fun in the process.

The small but fierce bomber stepped out of the training ring and burst into song during an interview earlier this week.

Pacquiao is beloved in his native land of the Philippines, but has won fans globally by displaying his love for singing on late night TV shows and acting in movies and sitcoms. After a three-hour workout with trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao told the WSJ that his responsibilities as a Congressman in the Philippines have cut into his singing time.

“When I became a Congressman, I stopped singing (seriously), because I don’t have time to sing,” he said. “I sing sometimes. A party? You want me to sing? Like that.”

He accepted an invitation to harmonize along to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and later promised that he would re-visit his singing career once his schedule slowed down. Check out his singing and the preview to the fight in the clip. The full interview with Pacquiao will be published on WSJ.com on June 6th.

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Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.